(March 2019) CFWNC recently approved two focus area grants totaling $90,000 to support regional projects in Early Childhood Development and Food and Farming.
The Foundation's focus areas were identified to benefit the region and enable the Foundation to work strategically and deeply in specified areas. Grants are made through significant staff collaboration with regional nonprofits to identify funding opportunities. The following grants were approved by the Foundation's Board on February 27.
Early Childhood Development - $50,000
Through grants for evidence-informed programs, community awareness and advocacy in Early Childhood Development, CFWNC seeks to help young children reach their full potential.
Region A Partnership for Children (RAPC) was awarded $50,000 for Promoting Collaborative Leadership for School Success, a program that continues work previously funded by CFWNC that supported community-wide collaboration to provide more effective early literacy programming to meet the needs of children and ensure reading success through Comprehensive Early Literacy Planning for School Success (CELPSS) in Haywood and Jackson counties. Funding will broaden the effort to include Swain County and will continue the collaboration and data sharing. CFWNC funds leverage a larger investment by The Duke Endowment and will pay a portion of the costs of two "Community Connectors" who will assist RAPC and the other partners in building on this early success.
The Dogwood Charitable Endowment Fund and Matthew Terrence Lee Charitable Fund partnered with CFWNC to fund this grant.
Food and Farming - $40,000
Grants increase opportunities for local farmers and food entrepreneurs that support the sustainability and profitability of WNC farms and address regional food insecurity and nutrition.
YMCA of Western North Carolina, was awarded $40,000 to purchase a new box truck for its Healthy Living Mobile Market (HLMM) that serves Buncombe, McDowell, Madison, Haywood and Henderson counties. The Y currently operates thirty-two HLMM sites each month, which is full capacity based on the current number of vehicles and staff. Sites, however, continue to grow in both the amount of food distributed and the number of families served, making the need for a reliable vehicle critical.
The Dogwood Charitable Endowment Fund, Matthew Terrence Lee Charitable Fund, John and Janet Garrett Charitable Fund and Biltmore Estate Charitable Fund partnered with CFWNC to fund this grant.